The invention relates to a security box for papers, such as banknotes, cheques and the like. Such security box normally comprises a bottom part, hereinafter also called container, and a cover or lid, which in closed position fully closes the open top of the container. The security box may be used for storing and transporting fraude, theft, robbery, pilferage and burglary and/or substitution sensible objects and/or documents such as currency, banknotes, security, valuable and/or confidential documents, information carriers or other valuable and/or substitution and/or modification sensible items and/or confidential objects.
Such a security box is on itself known, e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,518. The container of this known security box comprises an open-topped container and a lid separate from the container and being formed to close the open top of the container. Said container comprises a horizontal, generally rectangular bottom wall integrally connected around its periphery with lower edges of vertical, opposed parallel side walls and vertical, opposed parallel rear end and front end walls. Said side and end walls are provided with integrally formed outwardly extending horizontal side and end flanges, respectively, said flanges being connected together around substantially the entire upper periphery of the container to constitute a horizontal, substantially continuous peripheral container flange which is provided with a plurality of through apertures and is integrally connected to a security flange extending parallel to the side and end walls in the direction of the bottom wall. Said lid has a horizontal, substantially continuous peripheral lid flange formed to overly the container flange which is provided with lid hooks, formed and aligned to engage with the container flange apertures, and with a cover flange being formed to overly the security flange at the side and rear end walls.
It is an object of the invention to improve the robustness of the security box against fraude and pilfering.
It is another object of the invention to prevent unauthorized replacement or substitution of labels carrying information with regard to the content of the security box.
It is also an object of the invention to allow easy transportation and stacking.
The invention has furthermore for its object to provide a security box having a shape and design which are suitable to allow the easy handling, transport and use of the security box in a robotised and computerised environment.
A security storage of the type referred to hereinabove according to the invention is therefore characterised by at least one, entirely closed, security sealing house depending from the outwardly extending horizontal front end flange, generally parallel to the front end wall, said housing being provided with peripheral sidewalls enclosing a generally cubiformed space being closed at the backside by a backwall, separated from the front end wall.
This measure not only strengthens the construction of the security sealing house as such, but also makes it difficult to break the security sealing padlock or gusset with a tool, such as a screwdriver or the like, as it is completely closed off.
As the back wall, the two peripheral side walls, the bottom and the top wall of this, preferably cubiform housing, are completery closed and separated from the front wall of the container, it is possible to keep a permanent and easy control against agression attempts.
A further constructive improvement in the robustness of the sealing against easy breaking or removing the closing security seal is characterised in that said security sealing house is provided with opposite through apertures in its top and bottom sidewalls for inserting therethrough the sealing padlock, thus allowing the use of sealing padlocks having multiple clamping elements. Instead of being clamped only in the opening in the top sidewall of the sealing house, now the sealing padlock is being clamped also in the opening in the bottom sidewall of the sealing house, therewith increasing the security of the padlocks, as well as further stabilizing and further increasing the grip resistance between the security seal and the sealing house.
Preferably such security box is characterized by various security sealing houses being provided at the front end wall, thus allowing a very safe padlocking by multiple intervention (i.e. intervention by successive different persons), which is nowadays becoming a standard procedure for handling high security documents and banknotes.
Another preferred embodiment according to the invention is characterized by a label housing provided with an opening at the peripheral container flange, the lid comprising a lidhook closing said label housing opening when locking the lid onto the container. The label housing can appropriately be provided with a protective window which is removeable/replaceable when the lid is removed from the container.
In interlocked lid-container assembly, the lid in this preferred embodiment covers the opening of the label housing, therewith preventing unauthorized replacement or substitution of labels carrying information with regard to the content of the security box.
In order to further improve the protection of the lid hooks from easy access and at the same time strengthen the construction of the container-lid assembly, the above security box according to the invention is characterized by reinforcement bridges connecting one of said sidewalls with the opposite security flange at each of the through apertures. The purpose of these bridges is not only to reinforce the container, but also to prohibit inserting a tool (e.g. a screw driver) horizontally between a hook of the cover or lid and the bottom side of the outward extending flange of the container, in order to attempt to lift a hook of the cover from its corresponding opening in the container.
Advantageously the container and/or the lid of the above security box according to the invention are molded in a synthetic resin, preferably by injection moulding. The moulded lid hooks may be reinforced by metal hook elements embedded and moulded into the resin, and/or the moulding resin may be reinforced with fibers selected from metal fibers, carbon fibers, glas fibers, and high strength synthetic fibers (such as KEVLARxe2x80x94fibers, SPECTRAxe2x80x94fibers, and similar).
For easy transportation and stacking, such security box is characterized in that the lid is provided with a rectangular inset formed to correspond with the bottom wall of the container. The container may be provided with handles at the rear and front end walls.